Monday, 25 April 2011

Hey, this is just a very short, quick, mention to say we [Jacqui and I] are back from Mons and the Trolls and Legends Festival and its friendly atmosphere where we had a great time, were well treated by the organisers who were kindness personified; the team Le Grimoire and those guests we managed to chat with. My small display of original art, from various sources, and the small portfolio I carried, was, I think, well received. I certainly did a lot of signing [and sketching] for those who came to the Le Grimoire table.

I took a lot of pictures on my trusty old camera ... but have to see if I can get them to down load :) [technologically ... I'm getting worse as I age .....AARggh!. Still, I add here one picture I was sent ...where I'd just signed a book for a new fan and where I despair of my weight [sob].

from Plague of the Demons [FF 51]

So, that's it for a little while, for those whose expecting work be assured I'll have my nose to the grindstone by tomorrow.

Now at the moment, I have been busy with this and that, and trying to finish off, and start, projects and it's getting a little ahead of me at the moment so apologies to any who are waiting to see 'their' commissions ... honest injun [can I write that now? if I've stepped on any toes then please forgive]. One thing that I feel is so important is to be in tune with the job [as they say] as the quality needed is always paramount where ever possible. I'd be a liar to say everything I do is my best work but I strive for it to be as good as I can manage at that moment in time and space wherever possible and, of course, where the client is happy with the result. Why am I saying this? Well, it's the reason why some jobs seem to take a little longer to complete than others ... I always want to "feel" it's right. Corny, but true.

Now one project I've recently been involved with is a film, Death ..It's A Mystery, by Martin Gooch, where I've been doing a few pieces that appear in one of the sets as background and some 'portraits' that are to be used in the opening title credits. This below is a promotion piece and the title has not yet been confirmed but I'll post more information as and when I get it.

The material for the scenes was to show the idea of pages 'torn' from a sketchbook highlighting the doodles of the inventor father. Below I've posted one of the original doodled pages and how it appears in the film.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

Alack, alas and gadzooks [he said in mock Arthurian] things are becoming bizarrely murky in Dinglyrussiedell it would seem. The missing Goblin came back and the naughty zombies, [err...can zombies be naughty?], ran away ...or I forgot to scan a copy, [Sounds more like it, dim-bat.], he 'said' with gnashing and grinding of teeth and a tearing of remnants.

Ah well, such is life.

So, the Goblin came back, still asleep too it would appear.

Once again we have to question the standards of the Goblin NHS..... ["Disgraceful", said Ol'Thunderblogs in the Telegraph].

For you who care, this picture appears [more or less] slightly larger than S/S.

To finish this short post a few oldies but goodies [well, if you squint, while standing on one leg in the left corner [as you look over your shoulder] when the moon is in the seventh Quadrant of Kiquel].

Dave {Morris} has been adding a few oldies ...on his own excellent blog. The first from The Hearts of Ice.

The second from a proposed strip, The Dying Trade, about vampirism, that went into limbo. It was done with brush rather than pen, and was supposed to be in colour.

In a similar vane a part from The Heart of Harkun, that was done with Jamie Thomson [only the dummy draft layout sketches really survive. The colour [here] was reproduced by poor photocopying before the advent of cheap computer generated colour printing.

Finally, a version of one of my maps ... this for, The Lands of Legend.

Sunday, 3 April 2011

So, before we leave robots et al, let us look at a quick sketch I did for one of the ladies who form the 'real' Manga BoyZ.

Other bits now. First concerning those pesky Goblins. It has come to my attention that the competence of the Goblin medical fraternity is as adequate as our NHS these days. I've remarked before that they not only use what they can get but cannot always tell their left from their right, remarkably rather like me. Take this 'new' example of a sleeping Goblin.

What!! The file has been removed ...it's a sneaky government cover-up. But his 'friend' has not escaped.

While extensive, and exhaustive searches are made to find this dasterly crime of Goblin sneakery we will take a short break, but don't [or do despair] no rock will be lifted to find the culprit.

About Me

Russ NicholsonRuss Nicholson is an illustrator best known over the years for his black and white fantasy art. He has contributed to such notable game related titles such as as 'The Warlock of Firetop Mountain', first in the illustrated series of Fighting Fantasy game books by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. He also illustrated many creatures in the original UK contribution to the first edition of the 'The Fiend Folio', and the six original published "episodes" of 'The Fabled Lands', and numerous Games Workshop products, and to their magazine White Dwarf. He studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Scotland. Russ moved to England in the 1970's and, save for a brief sojourn in Papua New Guinea, has lived and worked in England ever since. For over fifty years Russ has produced work for a wide range of companies and publishers, including Puffin, Pan, Collins, Hodder and Stoughton, TSR, Games Workshop, Hoggshead Publishing, DC Thomson, Le Grimoire Publications, Runequest, Goodman Games, Kobold Press, and many others. His work has been reproduced in over twenty countries.View my complete profile